Abstract

Integrated systems control has as its goal the integration of the information processing, decision-making and control functions of an industrial system to achieve increased operating efficiency and productivity, better utilization of resources, improved product quality and other benefits. As the steel industry is well advanced, relative to other industries, in the application of highly computerized systems integration, it was selected as the basis for a first case study.

The Review presents both the results of a state-of-the-art survey of integrated systems control in the steel industry and the proceedings of a IIASA conference on the subject. The results motivate a general methodology for integrated control system design based on a hierarchical structuring of the system, incorporating multilevel decomposition and temporal and functional multilayer concepts.